WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden proposed a massive expansion of federal services for Americans this year, he laid out lofty stakes — not only for his own presidential legacy but far beyond.

The imperative, he said in an April address to Congress, is to show "that our government still works — and can deliver for the people."

It was an apt pitch for the long-held Democratic vision of government as a force for good, and for the idea that Washington has an obligation to improve the lot of Americans held back.

But five months later, the capital is locked in an intra-party showdown over t...